The present invention relates in general to dispensing devices and in particular to devices for dispensing flexible lids for containers.
Many restaurants, convenience markets and other establishments serve items including beverages and food to customers in paper, plastic, Styrofoam, and other disposable containers. As a convenience to the customers, a corresponding disposable lid is typically sealed around an open end of such containers to keep their contents from spilling or otherwise upsetting. In many establishments, the disposable lids are kept in generally horizontal or slightly inclined trays that are positioned near the location where their associated containers are dispensed. However, the lids sometimes stick together causing slow downs in retrieving a single lid from the lid tray. Further, a person typically touches several lids when attempting to retrieve a single lid. For example, a person wishing to obtain a lid from a lid tray must typically grasp multiple lids, often requiring the use of two hands to separate out a single desired lid. This practice creates the likelihood that the counter on which the lid tray is positioned will become cluttered with loose lids lying in the proximity to the lid tray. Still further, typical lid trays consume considerable amounts of valuable counter space thus affecting the store space required to serve beverages.